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Syracuse Basketball vs Temple Recap: The Dark Side

Syracuse's Michael Carter-Williams pulls his shirt over his face after fouling Temple's Rahlir Hollis -Jefferson in the second half of their game against Temple at Madison Square Garden.
(Photo by Dennis Nett/The Post-Standard 2012)

Michael Carter-Williams was the worst offender for Syracuse going 7-for-15 from the free throw line.

Even if Syracuse had gone say, 68%, from the free throw line, they may have squeaked this game out. But to shoot 56%?

That's just flat-out inexcuseable.

"They made their free throws, we didn't," Jim Boeheim said after the game. "You don't like to say that a game comes down to that, but if you miss 15 free throws, it is going to be tough to win any game."

Did the refs make their presence known too much in this game?

No question about it. That brutal call on Baye Moussa Keita with :53 left comes to mind. All it took was one replay to determine how much of a garbage call that was.

That said, both teams were sent to the free throw line an even amount of times. Syracuse had 34 attempts, Temple had 36.

Temple made their free throws.

Syracuse's Baye Moussa Keita goes to the line for a free throw in the second half of the Orange's game against Temple at Madison Square Garden.Dennis Nett/The Post-Standard 2012

Syracuse didn't.

That factor was the edge that gave Temple the game. Simple as that.

Last minute gift idea for the Orange.

Everyone on the team should receive a copy of former Orangeman Jim Lee's book, Fifteen Feet For Free: a simple guide to foul shooting for players at level.

*Syracuse was 2-for-12 from three-point range. While Temple wasn't great from outside the arc, 8-for-34 will help your cause more than two made three's.

James Southerland had trouble getting looks and was 0-for-2 from three-point range.

Michael Carter-Williams was 0-for-5.

Trevor Cooney missed his one three-point attempt badly.

Brandon Triche missed a wide-open three with just under a minute to go that could have given Syracuse a much-needed surge.

*Isn't Madison Square Garden supposed to be Syracuse's "home away from home?" Don't we hear from commentators all the time about how Syracuse basically walks across the street to play at MSG?

While the Doug Gottlieb's of the world probably put a little more emphasis on that than they should, it is still a head-scratcher to see Syracuse play such a step off in a building they routinely play in.

Temple looked like the more energetic team all game long. It's cliche to say it, but the Owls simply looked like they wanted it more.

Most people saw Temple lose to Canisius, a team Syracuse beat 85-61, earlier in the week and must have assumed victory would be coming for Syracuse.

A Syracuse fan looks at the scoreboard near the end of the Orange's game against Temple in the second half of their game at Madison Square Garden. Dennis Nett/The Post-Standard 2012

That loss to Canisius was just what the doctor ordered for the Owls. They were a step ahead of Syracuse all game long.

Temple was not at all intimidated by Syracuse, their #3 ranking, or anything that comes with the Syracuse brand name.

They took it to Syracuse all game long and were rewarded by the basketball gods for it.

*By "they," I really meant Khalif Wyatt and Anthony Lee, who both dropped career-highs on Syracuse.

Wyatt had 33 points, including a 15-for-15 performance from the free throw line.

Lee had 21 points, including 11-for-14 from the free throw line.

While Wyatt was yapping his gums a little too much for my liking in his game, Syracuse did nothing to shut him up.

Lee had it a little easier. Not to take anything away from his game, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports even tweeted during the game that Lee was one of the most improved players in the country, but it is easy to have a career day when you are open all day long inside.

Several Temple players celebrate their win over Syracuse at Madison Square Garden. AP

Which leads me to my next point.

*I have felt like Syracuse's interior defense, and overall interior play for that matter, has been an issue all season long. I have written it in this space and tweeted it several times.

Even though most of SU's opponents haven't provided a full gauge of the types of teams that will challenge Syracuse, you can easily spot the flaws.

Maybe those flaws were hidden a bit by the inferior talent Syracuse has faced thus far, put aside San Diego State, Arkansas, and Detroit.

Temple was the first team to really take it to Syracuse at the heart of it's weakness and it was as big of a factor as to why the Owls won as the free throw shooting.

Temple had 19 offensive rebounds in this game. Syracuse did as well. But it was clear who made them count more. It was a sign of how Temple seemed a bit more aggressive all game long than Syracuse.

Jim Boeheim told SU play-by-play man Matt Park after the game that "we're going to have to get more out of our big guys this year if we're going to have success."

Dajuan Coleman wasn't given a chance to make an impact. He played four minutes. And he is still too much into the "project" stage to be counted on as a consistent threat at this point. Boeheim's trust and patience in him will wane as we get closer to Big East play (much like Christmas last season).

Rakeem Christmas was 2-of-7 from the field with four points and five rebounds.

He has shown flashes of brilliance thus far, but do you really trust him right now?

Baye Keita plays his butt off, he had 12 points and 8 rebounds for Syracuse in this game, but he can't anchor the inside game with his offensive limitations.

Christmas is the key. He has to develop a mean streak and be more consistent around the basket.

*Michael Carter-Williams had one of his worst games in a Syracuse uniform with 13 points, four steals, and four assists.

MCW was 3-for-15 from the field and 7-for-15 from the free throw line. That's a 10-for-30 showing combined.

Yikes.

He was also serenaded with chants of "Lord and Taylor" from the Temple fans in attendance in reference to his recent legal troubles.

MCW looked flustered and rushed almost the entire game. You could tell early on that he wanted to put on a show at MSG, and when things didn't go his way, he kept trying to force his way out of it.

He continually rushed the basket and took on 2-3 defenders when the situation called for a more patient approach, especially with his troubles at the free throw line.

His shot selection was poor, he made some uncharacteristic bad passes, and his defense was lackluster all game long.

Sometimes, the best decision a point guard can make is what not to do. MCW had trouble recognizing that in this game.

Simply put, he wasn't a good leader vs Temple. He was arguing with referees too much and did you catch it where he gave a ref (couldn't see which one) a kick in the sneaker on the way to a timeout? Certainly his maturity is still a work in progress.

He is still a very talented player and a game like this may be the slice of humble pie he needs right now.

But maybe we need to pump the brakes a bit in putting him in the conversation with some of the best point guards in the country.

He may easily get there by the end of the season.

Even with his huge assist numbers, games like this demonstrate his isn't quite there yet with names like Trey Burke, Aaron Craft, and Phil Pressey.

He has to earn it a bit more.

This was a model of what other teams may do against Syracuse. Temple went all in on making MCW a scorer more than a distributor. He had the looks all day long, they just weren't falling.

*Temple did not make a field goal over the last 5:30 of the game. And still won the game.

*I love game where there is a combined 70 free throws, don't you? The officiating was even, but still a source of frustration. I can't stand games where they makes themselves too involved.

And as mentioned above, that pick call on Baye Keita with :53 to go was just a horrific call.

I have it from a little birdie who was walking out of Madison Square Garden with Jim Boeheim after the game that when they passed a member of the officiating crew Boeheim told him, "good job, but you didn't have to call the pick that cost us the game."

That's obviously not what cost Syracuse the game. That would be the free throw shooting.

It was more like salt in the wound.

*While Syracuse had less turnovers overall than Temple (14-11), there were several plays where Syracuse players just flat-out dropped easy passes or had handle issues. It was a demonstration of the team's lack of energy and focus at times in this game.

*Did Syracuse "need" to lose a game to gain a little perspective?

I don't know if I buy that theory.

But anyone who watched this game knows they didn't deserve to win it.

That may be the better lesson for this team as they head into their holiday break before a game with Alcorn State on December 29.